The tennis racket that 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic used to win the 2012 Australian Open sold for $540,000 (including buyer's premium) with SCP Auctions on Saturday, shattering the records paid for a tennis racket and piece of tennis memorabilia.
The 2012 Australian Open final between Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is still the longest Grand Slam final at 5 hours, 53 minutes and is widely considered one of the greatest tennis matches ever played.
Djokovic played in his 11th Australian Open title Sunday but lost in four sets to Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic had been looking to become the only player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam titles.
The previous record paid for a tennis racket or item of tennis memorabilia was $173,066 for the racket Alcaraz used to beat Djokovic in 2023 for his first Wimbledon title.
The photo-matching company Resolution Photomatching pegged the racket not only to the championship point -- Djokovic subsequently handed the racket to the consignor shortly after winning, according to SCP Auctions -- but to his quarterfinal and semifinal victories. The auction house's vice president, Brendan Wells, told ESPN that the California-based auction house was thrilled to have "tripled the previous record for any tennis item."
"It proves once again that collectors with the deepest pockets want the best of the best," Wells said. "Half a million for the greatest men's player's racket, from the longest Grand Slam final, against his biggest rival, photo-matched to championship point? When you put it all together, why not? Another well-deserved record for the Djoker."
